1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a remote controller key continuous press detecting apparatus, a remote controller key continuous press detecting method and a medium with a remote controller key continuous press detecting program recorded thereon, and more particularly to a remote controller key continuous press detecting apparatus, a remote controller key continuous press detecting method and a medium with a remote controller key continuous press detecting program recorded thereon for detecting, where a remote controller key is kept pressed continuously, the continuously pressed state of the remote controller key of a remote controller which repeatedly supplies a key code at prescribed output intervals.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Known remote controller key continuous press detecting apparatuses according to the prior art include an apparatus which distinguishes at the electrical appliance under its remote control a key code signal supplied from a remote controller and judges whether or not its remote controller key is in a continuously pressed state. This apparatus, when judging whether or not its remote controller key is in a continuously pressed state, determines the presence of such a state if the same key code as the key code previously distinguished is distinguished within a prescribed judgment period. However, if the key code to be distinguished is deformed by noise from another electrical appliance or some other interference, the state may be judged as one of the remote controller key being pressed continuously. As a consequence, even if the user keeps the remote controller key pressed continuously to switch on or off a child lock mode or the like, the continuously pressed state of the remote controller key may not be detected, making the desired switching impossible.
In order to eliminate this inconvenience, it is conceivable to extend the judgment period during which the remote controller key continuous press detecting apparatus judges whether or not the remote controller key is in a continuously pressed state. For instance, where the data length of a key code xe2x80x9cAxe2x80x9d supplied from the remote controller is 70 ms and the output interval of the key code when the remote controller key is kept pressed continuously is 100 ms, suppose that the judgment period is 280 ms, 2.8 times as long. Then, when the remote controller key is kept pressed continuously, as shown in FIG. 6, even if a key code deformed by noise or the like (xe2x80x9cBxe2x80x9d in FIG. 6) is once distinguished, if another trial of key code distinguishment is done, the authentic key code (xe2x80x9cAxe2x80x9d in FIG. 6) can be distinguished. Therefore, the continuously pressed state of the remote controller key will keep on being detected.
The conventional remote controller key continuous press detecting apparatus involves the following problem.
That is, on account of the long judgment period, if the remote controller key is repeatedly pressed at short intervals, it may be mistaken for a state of continuous pressing of this remote controller key. Then, no processing in response to reiterative pressing of this remote controller key cannot take place.
The present invention, attempted in view of the above-noted problem, is intended to provide a remote controller key continuous press detecting apparatus which eliminates the impact of noise or the like when the remote controller key is kept pressed continuously to detect the continuously pressed state of the remote controller key and, when the same remote controller key is repeatedly pressed at short intervals, detects the non-continuously pressed state of the remote controller key.
A remote controller key continuous press detecting apparatus according to the invention detects the continuously suppressed state of a remote controller which supplies key code repeatedly at prescribed output intervals when the remote controller key is kept pressed continuously, and is provided with: a key code distinguishing unit for distinguishing a key code supplied from the remote controller; a continuous press judging unit for judging a remote controller key continuous press state when it distinguishes the key code distinguished by the key code distinguishing unit at a timing of its predicted arrival when the remote controller key is kept pressed continuously but not immediately judging the end of the remote controller key continuous press state if the key code is not so distinguished; and a detection signal output unit for supplying a continuous press detection signal when the continuous press judging unit has judged the presence of a remote controller key continuous press state.
More specifically, the apparatus is provided with a remote controller light receiving section for receiving infrared ray signals in a pulse waveform generated by a remote controller and converting them into electrical signals; a key code distinguishing circuit, into which the electrical signals supplied from the remote controller light receiving section are entered, for distinguishing a key code according to the combination of the states of the electrical signals; a continuous press judging circuit, into which this distinguished key code is entered, for distinguishing a remote controller key continuous press state when a key code is distinguished at a timing of its predicted arrival when the remote controller key is kept pressed continuously, but not immediately judging the end of the remote controller key continuous press state if the key code is not so distinguished if, after the distinguishment of the key code for detecting the continuously pressed state, the same key code is not distinguished at the timing of its next predicted arrival; and a detection signal output circuit for supplying a continuous press detection signal when the continuous press judging circuit has detected a continuously pressed state.
In this configuration according to the invention, the key code distinguishing unit distinguishes the key code supplied from the remote controller. Then the continuous press judging unit judges whether or not a remote controller key continuous press state is present according to the key code distinguished by the key code distinguishing unit, and the detection signal output unit supplies a continuous press detection signal if the continuous press judging unit judges the presence of a remote controller key continuous press state.
As the key code is repeatedly supplied from the remote controller at prescribed output intervals when the remote controller key is kept pressed continuously, the arrival timing of the key code for continuous pressing of the remote controller key can be foreseen. Therefore, the continuous press judging unit, if the key code is distinguished ata timing when continuous pressing of the remote controller key is expected, judges the presence of a remote controller key continuous press state. On the other hand, if no key code is distinguished at its predicted timing of arrival, it does not immediately judge that the remote controller key continuous press state has ended. Thus, even if the key code is temporarily deformed by noise or the like when the remote controller key is kept pressed continuously, the judgment of the presence of a remote controller key continuous press state is maintained at the time, with the result that the remote controller key continuous press state continues to be detected.
Incidentally, if the remote controller key continuous press state is judged to have ended only when no key code is entered at the timing of its predicted arrival, a remote controller key continuous press state is more likely than not to be judged present if the remote controller key is repeatedly pressed at short intervals. On the other hand, if it is so arranged that distinguishment of a different key code from what is used for detecting a continuously pressed state at the timing of the anticipated arrival of the detection key code would forbid judgment of the end of the key code remote controller key continuous press state until the next timing of the anticipated arrival, the remote controller key continuous press state will continue to be detected. Therefore, it is made possible to eliminate the impact of noise or the like when the remote controller key is kept pressed continuously to enable the remote controller key continuous press state to be detected and, at the same time, not to mistake the repeated pressing of the same remote controller key at short intervals for a remote controller key continuous press state thereby to achieve correct detection.
As described above, the invention can provide a remote controller key continuous press detecting apparatus capable of detecting a remote controller key continuous press state without being affected by noise or the like when the remote controller key is kept pressed continuously, and detecting repeated pressing of the same remote controller key at short intervals as such without mistaking it for a remote controller key continuous press state.
Here it is sufficient for the continuous press judging unit not to immediately judge that the remote controller key continuous press state has ended if no key code is distinguished at the timing of its predicted arrival when the remote controller key is kept pressed continuously. As a specific example of this function, there can be adopted a configuration in which the continuous press judging unit judges the presence of a remote controller key continuous press state when the same key code as what was distinguished by the key code distinguishing unit last time is distinguished within a prescribed first judgment period and, if a different key code from what was distinguished previously is distinguished, also judges the presence of a remote controller key continuous press state if the same key code as what was distinguished last time is distinguished within a prescribed second judgment period from the time the different key code was distinguished.
In this configuration, the continuous press judging unit key code distinguishing unit judges the presence of a remote controller key continuous press state when the same key code as what was distinguished last time is distinguished within the prescribed first judgment period. On the other hand, if a different key code from what was distinguished previously is distinguished, it also judges the presence of a remote controller key continuous press state if the same key code as what was distinguished last time is distinguished within the prescribed second judgment period from the time the different key code was distinguished. Then, even if the key code is deformed by noise or the like when the remote controller key is kept pressed continuously, the presence of a remote controller key continuous press state is judged if the key code for detecting the continuously pressed state is distinguished afterwards within the second judgment period. Therefore, the remote controller key continuous press state continues to be detected.
This configuration makes it possible to provide a specific remote controller key continuous press detecting apparatus capable of detecting a remote controller key continuous press state when the remote controller key is kept pressed continuously without being affected by the impacts of noise or the like.
Here, different combinations of the first judgment period and the second judgment period are conceivable if there is an opportunity to distinguish the key code of the remote controller key which has been pressed continuously at least once in each judgment period. In one specific example, the first judgment period and the second judgment period of the continuous press judging unit are as long, and they can be longer than each output interval of the key code when the remote controller key is kept pressed continuously and shorter than twice that interval.
In this configuration, the first judgment period and the second judgment period of the continuous press judging unit are equalized, and the first judgment period and the second judgment period are longer than each output interval of the key code when the remote controller key is kept pressed continuously and shorter than twice that interval.
Thus, as the two judgment periods are equal, the configuration of the continuous press judging unit is simplified. Furthermore, as the key code can be distinguished once in each judgment period, the judgment periods are prevented from becoming too long, and the repeated pressing of the same remote controller key at short intervals would not invite erroneous judgment of a remote controller key continuous press state.
Since this configuration prevents the judgment periods from becoming too long, and the repeated pressing of the same remote controller key at short intervals would not be mistaken for a remote controller key continuous press state.
The remote controller key for detecting the continuously pressed state here may be in any desired form, but if it permits detection of remote controller key continuous press state when the power supply to the apparatus it serves is off, the key can be applied to various functions. As an example of such other application, it is conceivable to so configure the continuous press judging unit as to be able to judge a remote controller key continuous press state of the power supply key of the remote controller.
In this configuration, this remote controller key continuous press detecting apparatus can detect the continuously pressed state of the power supply key of the remote controller. Since the key code of the power supply key of the remote controller is distinguished irrespective of the power supply on the part of the apparatus served by this detecting apparatus, its remote controller key continuous press state can be detected even if the power supply to it is turned off.
The continuous press detection signal supplied from the remote controller key continuous press detecting apparatus can be used by a main control unit or the like provided on the part of the apparatus it serves. It is of course possible to incorporate this remote controller key continuous press detecting apparatus into the same element as the main control unit, and in this case the continuous press detection signal can be used within that element.
This configuration makes it possible to detect a remote controller key continuous press state even if the power supply to the apparatus served by the detection apparatus is off.
If in this remote controller key continuous press detecting apparatus here it is possible to generate a signal to validate or invalidate the remote controller key, it will be used for the main control unit or the like in controlling the locking function or the like of the remote controller key. As an example of such application, the remote controller key continuous press detecting apparatus can have a configuration having a control signal output unit which supplies a remote controller key control signal to invalidate or validate the remote controller key if the continuous press detection signal supplied from the detection signal output unit is continued for a prescribed duration.
In this configuration, the control signal output unit generates and supplies a remote controller key control signal to invalidate or validate the remote controller key, and it is made possible, when the remote controller key control signal is switched, to perform control to invalidate or validate the remote controller key and to lock or unlock the remote controller key.
Thus, control to invalidate or validate the remote controller key is facilitated.